Common Arguments against Social Networks

Despite the countless positive features and conveniences that social media offers us, there still remain those people who say that we would be better without them.  There are also many people that are on the fence as to whether social networks are more good than bad, or vice-versa.  In this section, we’ll look at some of the arguments against social networks, and discuss how these problems can be minimized or avoided completely.

In his article “Introduction to are Social Networking Sites Harmful”, Ed. Stefan Kiesbye points out some of the dangers of social networks when he stated the following:

Media critics and others have voiced unease about various aspects of social networking sites. Some fear that sexual predators will befriend unsuspecting teenagers via Facebook or MySpace. Others point to the possibility of identity theft and believe that social networking sites might erode real-life friendships or cause obesity. The news media has often increased these fears, highlighting disturbing, mostly isolated, episodes involving MySpace and Facebook.

            I must agree that social networks can be very dangerous if used carelessly, but the hazards pointed out by Kiesbye are quite easy to avoid.  We’ll start with the idea of sexual predators and identity theft.  Kiesbye points out that social networks are perfect grounds for sexual predators and identity theft.  While there continue to be cases of both predation and theft, both are actually quite easy to avoid.  All social media sites nowadays have multiple levels of security that users can use to keep their profiles, information and posts safe.  We’ll look at Facebook for example.  Users of Facebook can adjust their security settings so their information, status updates, pictures, profiles, friends and videos are only visible by friends, friends and friends of friends, specific people or only yourself.  There are so many security measures that you can adjust your settings so only you can view certain parts of your profile…  So, while I admit these hazards can very dangerous, with a little bit of safety and careful thinking you can avoid both of them.  Make sure your security settings are set to your liking, and avoid connections with people you don’t know. Most important, avoid posting private information altogether.

            Another common argument against social networks by people that are on the fence as to whether to use social media or not are the time people commit to it.  As Dan Bobkoff points out in his article “Online Social Networking has Altered the Rules of Social Interaction”, many users of these social networks are replacing their real life face-to-face communication with people with technology, and more and more people are committing more and more time online.  With this argument, I can’t provide any facts or statistics to help me prove my point.  I’ll leave it at this; users of these social networks need to be careful that they don’t commit too much time online.  Use some common sense when you decide to check Facebook, Twitter or some other site.  You don’t need to be on for more than 30 minutes; You don’t need to be on for more than 10 if you check it at least twice a day.  Some simple time management can make certain you don’t let social media take over all your communication and time.